Tromsø Look to Punish Struggling HamKam Again in Eliteserien Return Fixture

Sunday 20 September 2026. Tromsø at home. HamKam coming to town for the second time this campaign. The last time these two met, Tromsø sent HamKam home with a 4-1 defeat. The thing is, very little in the evidence since then suggests HamKam have done anything to close that gap.

Tromsø: The Form Side

Tromsø have won three of their last five Eliteserien matches. That run includes a 4-1 win over HamKam in July, a 4-0 destruction of Vålerenga, and a 6-2 battering of Aalesund. That is ten goals across those three wins. That is not a side going through the motions.

They drew 0-0 with Sarpsborg 08 in their most recent outing, which keeps a clean sheet on the board, and their only defeat in this five-match window was a 2-3 loss to Molde. Across their last ten, Tromsø have kept four clean sheets. Forty percent. That is a defence with some backbone, not a leaky outfit that gifts goals away cheaply.

Sixteen goals scored in five matches. An average of over three per game. Listen, you do not need a calculator to see that Tromsø are in a rich vein of attacking form. They are scoring freely, they are winning football matches, and they are doing it at home where they clearly feel comfortable. End of.

HamKam: Two Wins from Ten Tells You Everything

HamKam have won two of their last ten Eliteserien matches. Two. They have drawn four and lost four across that same period. They have conceded eighteen goals in ten games. That is not a defensive wobble. That is a structural problem.

Their last five are particularly grim reading. A draw with Kristiansund, a 0-3 defeat to Brann, a draw with Aalesund, a win over Vålerenga, and a 0-1 defeat to Sarpsborg 08. One win from five. Their clean sheet percentage sits at twenty percent in that window. They have kept one clean sheet from their last five matches.

The thing is, that solitary win, a 3-0 result against Vålerenga on 31 July, looks like the exception rather than the rule. Outside of that afternoon, HamKam have looked like a team without the standards required to compete at this level week in, week out. Accountability has to sit somewhere in that dressing room. You cannot concede eighteen in ten and claim everything is fine.

They also carry the baggage of that 1-4 defeat to Tromsø earlier in the campaign. No player forgets a result like that. And when you arrive at the same ground in worse form than you were then, the mental challenge is significant.

Head to Head: One Meeting, One Statement

There is only one completed meeting between these sides in the supplied data, and it tells a clear story. Tromsø beat HamKam 4-1 in July. Tromsø were dominant, the scoreline was not flattering, and HamKam's away record since has done nothing to suggest they are capable of a response.

One game is a small sample. But when the form lines either side of that result point in the same direction, you pay attention to what you saw. Tromsø were better on the day. They have looked better since. HamKam have looked worse. That matters.

The Injury Concern at Tromsø

Tromsø have one confirmed long-term injury in the data supplied. A player has been out since September 2025 with no expected return date listed. That is a significant absence in terms of duration. Without knowing the specific role that player fills, it is impossible to quantify the exact impact. But any side carrying a long-term absentee has to manage that across a campaign, and Tromsø appear to have done so with a fair degree of success given their recent results.

What Needs to Happen for HamKam to Get Anything Here

Honestly. They need to be organised. They need to compete. They need to make Tromsø work for everything rather than handing them the game inside twenty minutes through individual errors or poor shape. HamKam's goals against column over ten matches tells you they are giving too much away too easily. If they come here open and passive, Tromsø's attackers will punish them. Simple as that.

A HamKam that sits deep, stays compact, and plays on the counter might nick something. They showed against Vålerenga that they can be clinical when the opportunity is there. But sustaining that level of defensive discipline against a side that put six past Aalesund and four past HamKam themselves is a different demand entirely.

The Verdict

Tromsø are in form. HamKam are not. The head to head backs the home side. The goals data backs the home side. The recent defensive records back the home side. There is nothing in the numbers that gives you a compelling reason to back HamKam to turn this around on the road, against an opponent who already knows exactly how to hurt them.

Tromsø to win. Back it. One selection, backed with conviction. The home side have the standards here. HamKam, right now, do not. End of.